Boston Bruins
“He’s a winner. He shows it every time he’s out there.”
Jeremy Swayman has been clutch down the stretch for the Bruins. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Jeremy Swayman’s baseline stats might not necessarily leap off the page.
Through 42 games, Swayman sports a .906 save percentage. It’s a welcome improvement from his lackluster numbers from the previous season (.892).
But this year, there are 16 qualified goalies who sport a higher save percentage than Swayman.
Of course, those same netminders aren’t under the same amount of duress that Swayman is routinely put under by a retooling Bruins roster.
Several things have gone right for the Bruins so far in 2025-26.
Marco Sturm has mapped out a hard-nosed, physical identity that his upstart roster has embraced.
Boston’s top talents like Charlie McAvoy, David Pastrnak, and Morgan Geekie have produced, while the Bruins’ once-dormant power play has roared back to life.
Younger players like Fraser Minten, Jonathan Aspirot, and Marat Khusnutdinov have carved out key roles, while James Hagens could be trading in his BC sweater for the spoked-B later this month. In total, eight different players have tallied double-digit goals.
But it’s been the play in net from Swayman that has been the primary reason why Boston remains in a playoff spot as of Wednesday, despite boasting one of the league’s leakier defensive units.
And if the Bruins want to solidify their spot in the postseason picture over their final 18 regular season games, they’re going to need to rely on Swayman more than ever to keep them afloat.
”Pre [Olympics], Post [Olympics], you name it — he’s been outstanding all year long,” Sturm said of Swayman’s play after Boston’s 2-1 overtime win over the Kings on Tuesday. “I didn’t see anything different. He’s been there at the key moments. And that’s what I love about him.
“He’s in a good mood, he’s in a good spot. He came home with the gold [medal]. Now he’s back at it, and he’s a winner. He shows it every time he’s out there. I’m just very happy with his performance all year long, on and off the ice, too. He’s been excellent.”
Swayman’s impact has been evident during Boston’s current 13-game win streak at TD Garden.
Since the start of 2026, Swayman has appeared in nine games on Causeway Street. He’s 9-0 in those games, sporting a .939 save percentage over that stretch.
Even though he didn’t face a heavy shot volume on Tuesday against the Kings (15 saves on 16 shots), the Bruins’ No. 1 netminder still turned aside several critical scoring chances — recording his 11th victory this season in one-goal games.
“It’s a team game,” Swayman said. “Every single guy on this team is doing their part to impact the game in a positive way, and it’s just fun to be one of those guys.”
Despite Swayman’s team-centric outlook, his play has been the great equalizer for a roster prone to coughing up Grade-A looks.
According to Natural Stat Trick, the Bruins are dead last in the NHL in expected goals against per 60 minutes at 3.59 — a testament to their propensity to give up quality scoring bids in front of their netminder.
Sure enough, only the Islanders and cellar-dwelling Canucks have allowed more high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes than the Bruins (13.64).
Swayman’s .906 save percentage might seem pedestrian. But a look under the hood highlights a goalie who is bailing his team out on most nights.
Per MoneyPuck, Swayman ranks third in the NHL in goals saved above expected at 21.4, with only the Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin (27.3) and Washington’s Logan Thompson (24.5) ranked above him.
In other words, Swayman’s efforts have taken over 20 potential goals off the board this season — a margin that would almost surely doom the Bruins’ playoff hopes had a lesser goalie let those Grade-A looks sail past them and into twine.
”I feel like it’s most nights, or every night,” Casey Mittelstadt said last week when asked of Swayman’s strong play. “So yeah, it gives the guys in front of him a lot of confidence to know he’s back there. I think the major thing is he makes big saves at big times. Very impressive. We’re lucky he’s on our side.”
A playoff spot is still far from a guarantee for Sturm’s club.
Entering Wednesday night, the Bruins remain in the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference with a record of 36-22-6 (78 points). They sit just one point behind the Red Wings for the first wild-card spot, while the Montreal Canadiens sit in third place in the Atlantic Division with 80 points.
However, Columbus is right behind Boston in the playoff race with 76 points on the season.
Points will be at a premium down the stretch for the Bruins, who will play 11 of their final 18 games away from TD Garden.
The Bruins have tried to properly allocate reps between Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo (23 games) this season, limiting the instances in which Swayman has been overtaxed amid a frantic regular-season slate.
But given the stakes at play at this stage of the NHL calendar — coupled with Korpisalo’s recent struggles (.875 save percentage in his last five games) — Sturm and the Bruins might need to lean heavily on Swayman down the stretch in order to punch their ticket back to the playoffs.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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